Firearm.



L. B. TAYLOR.

FIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 29, 1909.

- Patnted Feb. 21, 1911.

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L. B. TAYLOR.

FIREARM. APPLICATION FILED OOT. 29, 1909.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

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LESLIE BOWN TAYLOR, OF BOURNBBOOK, BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

FIREARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

Application filed October 29, 1909. Serial No. 525,369.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LESLIE BowN TAYLOR,

a subject. of the King of Great Britain, residing at Bournbrook, Birmingham, county of WVarwick, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in firearms, and pertains more particularly to an improved manner ofmounting the cover-plate of breech-loading guns and small arms. The plate is employed to cover and hold in position the lock-carrying plates now commonly mounted in recesses formed in the body of the gun.

The invention may be said to be an improvement upon the structure set forth and claimed in United States Letters Patent No. 913,7 84, granted to me under date of March 2, 1909, and also upon the construction shown in Letters Patent No. 612,313, dated October 11, 1898, granted to John Deeley and myself.

The invention is shown in the annexed drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a sectional elevation of the forward portion of the frame of the gun, the plate being shown in closed position in full lines and in open position in dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the plate and a portion of the trigger-plate, the latch which is employed to hold the plate closed being omitted; Fig. 3 a perspective view of the forward end of the trigger-plate; Fig. 4 a perspective view of the cover-plate as seen from the upper side; Fig. 5 a sectional elevation of the fore portion of the frame of the gun, showing a modification of the man ner of mounting the plate; Fig. 6 a bottom plan view thereof; Fig. 7 a view similar to Fig. 5, showing a still further modification; Fig. 8 a front elevation of the latch employed in conjunction with the construction shown in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 a bottom plan view 3 of the construction shown in Fig. 7 Fig. 10

a sectional view showing a still further modification of the hinge joint employed in conjunction with the plate; Fig. 11 a bottom plan view thereof; Fig. 12 a sectional view showing another modification of the hinge joint; Fig. 13 a bottom plan view thereof; Fig. 14 a sectional view illustrating a sliding connection between the hinge member and the plate, whereby the plate may be moved endwise with reference to the hinge; and Fig. 15 a transverse vertical sectional view on the line aa of Fig. 14.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a hinge connection for the cover-plate, preferably adjacent to the rear end thereof, whereby the plate may be swung down away from the body of the arm to permit the withdrawal of the locks therefrom, the plate being always in position to readily close when the locks are replaced. Thus bodily replacement of the plate is rendered unnecessary and loss thereof prevented.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in conjunction with the hinged plate, a spring mechanism which tends to rotate the plate about its hinge or pintle, and more specifically, to produce a spring mechanism which will hold the plate in its open or closed position.

Another object of the invention is to extend the plate rearwardly so as to cover the forward portion or tang of the trigger-plate, thereby hiding the same and presenting a large surface upon the outer face of the cover-plate for any necessary or desirable inscrlption.

Referring first to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, 1 denotes theforward portion of the body of the gun, which will be provided with the usual recesses for the reception of the lock-carrying plates or lock mechanism, the construction being similar to that set forth in Letters Patent No. 913,784 aforesaid. The trigger-plate 2 carrying the usual guard 2 is provided with a forward extension or tang 3 secured to the body by a screw 4. Said plate is likewise provided with a pair of downwardlyextending perforate lugs 6 which, with similar lugs 7 formed upon the rear end of the cover-plate 8, form a hinge connection for said plate, a pin or pintle 9 passing through the knuckle joint thus formed. The plate in this construction carries at its outer or normally free end, and upon the upper side thereof, a sliding bolt or latch 10, pressed forward by a spring 11, the forward end of the latch engaging a projection 12 formed upon the gun and serving, when the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1, to hold the plate in its closed position. The centrally-disposed lug 7 upon the rear end of the cover-plate is extended rearwardly be yond the other lugs (see Figs. 2 and 4) and is provided with a relatively flat upper face 13. Said lug stands in line with the lower end of an opening or chamber 14 formed in a housing or projection 15, which extends upwardly from the trigger-plate 2. Mounted within the chamber is a spring 16, preferably coiled, said spring bearing at its lower end upon a foot or plate 17 which overlies the flat face 13 of the central lug 7 and serves to hold the plate in its fully open or closed position. hen the cover plate is thrown downward into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the rear end or nose of the lug 7 passes directly beneath the forward end of the foot 17, thereby raising the foot and placing the spring under compression. The parts assume such position that the plate will be held open when brought to the position shown in dotted lines, but when swung upwardly the spring will tend to throw the plate to its closed position, in which it will be held by the bolt 10. The cover plate is provided with a recess 18,'into which the tang or projection 3 passes when the plate is fully closed. From this construction it will be seen that the tang is fully covered and a smooth and extended surface provided upon the under face of the plate. Furthermore, there are no loose parts to be lost when the gun is opened up for the purpose of removing the locking plates or like mechanism.

In Figs. 5 and 6 a modification of the construction is shown, wherein, instead of the lugs projecting downwardly, as in the form just described, the lugs designated by 19 extend upwardly into the chamber formed in the housing, so as to produce a substantially flush finish between the forward end of the trigger-plate and the coverplate. The parts are secured together by a pintle 20 which passes through the lugs, and a foot as shown in the other form is employed to hold the plate in its open position and to assist in closing the same. Instead of employing a sliding spring-pressed bolt, as in the construction previously described, the forward end of the cover-plate is provided with a pair of lugs or ears 21 between which there is pivoted upon a pin 22 a latch 23, which is spring-pressed outwardly and upwardly by a spring 24, so as to throw it into engagement with the pro- .jection 25 formed upon the lower portion of a cam 26.

In Figs. 7, 8 and 9 a still further modification is shown. The cover-plate 27 is provided with a rearwardly-extending lug 28 which fits into a recess 29 formed in the be noted upon reference more particularly to Fig. 7, the joint is a fiushone, Instead of mounting the spring in the housing, a recess 31 is formed in the body of the gun and a spring 32 mounted therein forces a plunger 33 downwardly against the upper face of the cover-plate and serves to swing the plate to its open position, the plate being held in its closed position by a pivoted latch 34 mounted in the forward end of the frame, said latch engaging a lug or projection 35 carried by the forward end of the cover-plate. Under this construction the spring 32 acts to open the plate fully and does not assist in bringing the plate to its closed position.

In Figs. 10 and 11 the trigger-plate and housing are of the sameform as those shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive. The cover-plate, designated by 36, is provided in this instance at its rear end with a lug 37 which extends rearwardly and occupies a position in the lower portion of the opening or chamber in the housing and also projects forwardly to a slight extent into a continuation of the chamber formed in the tang 3. The lug is of a thickness half of that of the plate 36 and a strip or plate 38 is secured to said lug by screws 39 the lug and plate embracing a pintle 40 which is secured in the triggerplate 2, suitable seats or recesses being formed in the lug and the strip or plate 38 to accommodate the pintle. This construction of the joint admits of the insertion of the cover plate and its attachment to or its detachment from the breech-action, if desired, after the gun is put together or assembled in a similar way to that shown in Figs. 1 and 4, but with this further advantage that it is not necessary to remove or replace the pintle 40 to accomplish this end.

In Figs. 12 and 13 a still further modification is shown, wherein, instead of hinging the cover-plate directly to the trigger-plate I may hinge a sectional plate, as 41, to the trigger-plate and then secure such plate to the cover-plate by screws 42. This construction likewise admits of the insertion of the cover-plate and its attachment to or detachment from the breech action in a manner similar to the construction shown in Figs. 10 and 11.

Again, in Figs. 14 and 15, a still further modification is shown. Formed within the housing or projection 15 is a diagonallydisposed chamber or recess 43 which opens into a second, somewhatlarger, chamber 44, the latter extending to the under face of the trigger-plate. A spring-pressed plunger 45 is mounted in the chamber 43 and bears at its lower end upon the rearwardly-extending portion of a lug 46 formed as an integral portion of the slide or plate 47. The lug, as will be seen upon reference to Fig. 14, projects upwardly into the recess or chamber 44, and a pivot pin 48 passes therethrough.

the inner side and that the plate 41 may The slide47', as will be seen upon reference to Fig. 15, isdovetailed and passes into a similar opening formed in the upper portion of the cover-plate, designated in this instance'by 49. The slide is provided with a longitudinally disposed slot 50 into which passes the upper rounded end of a screw 51 carried by the cover-plate. This construction admits of a short sliding movement of the cover-plate with reference to the hinged plate or member 47. By removing the screw 51 the cover-plate may be readily withdrawn from its connection with the hinged member. This construction, it will be noted, furnishes a flush finish and means whereby the plate may be readily attached or detached when the gun is assembled, without the necessity of stripping the same.

In connection with the construction shown in Figs. 12 and 13, it is, of course, conceivable that the screws may be inserted from likewise be placed upon the inner faceof the cover-plate and its edges beveled 'to make a sliding fit with the correspondinglyformed walls of the recesses in the coverplate, similar to the construction shown in Figs. 14 and 15.

Under all the constructions shown it is to be noted that the forward end of the triggerplate is covered, and that, with the exception of theform shown in Figs. 7 8 and 9, the spring which acts upon the rear end of the cover-plate will hold the plate in its fully open position and assist in closing, if not entirely close, said plate. In fact, it is conceivable that the spring which acts upon the rear end of the cover-plate may be sufiicient to hold the plate in its closed position, without the use of the latch or bolt at the forward end thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a drop-down breech-loading gun or small arm, the combination of a body having in its under side a vertical recess for the reception of the lock mechanism of the gun; a cover-plate hinged to the under side ofthe body so as, when closed, to conceal the lock mechanism in the vertical recess; and means for holding the said hinged cover-plate in its closed position.

2. In a drop-down breech-loading gun or small arm, the combination of a body having in its under side a pair of vertical recesses for the reception of the lock-carrying plates of the gun; a cover-plate hinged at one end to the under side of the body so as, when closed, to cover the pair of recesses; and means for holding the said hinged coverplate in its closed position.

3. In a drop-down breech-loading gun or small arm, the combination with a body havupon the upper face of the lug,

ing in its under side recesses for the recep- I tion of the lock mechanism of the gun; of adetachably hinged cover-plate fitted to the underside of the body which normally closes the recesses in the under side of the body but which cover-plate, when opened 011 its hinge-joint, provides ready access to the lock mechanism; and means for holding the detachably hinged cover-plate in its closed po sition.

4. In a drop-down, breech-loading gun, the combination of a body portion provided with lock-receiving recesses in its under face; a cover-plate; a hinge connect-ion between the rear end of said plate and a fixed portion of the gun; and a spring-actuated device working in conjunction with said cover-plate to hold the plate in its open or in its closed position.

5. In a drop-down, breech-loading gun, the combination of a body portion provided with lock-receiving recesses in its under face; a cover-plate; a hinge connection between the rear end of said plate and a fixed portion of the arm; a spring acting upon the rear portion of the plate and serving to hold the plate in its open or closed position; and a latch for securing the plate in its closed-position. i

6. In a drop-down, breech-loading gun, the combination of a body portion provided with lockreceiving recesses; a trigger-plate provided with a forwardly-extending tang secured to said body portion; and a cover plate hinged to the trigger-plate in rear of the tang and adapted to cover said tang and close the recesses when the cover-plate is brought to its closed position.

7. In a drop-down, breech-loading gun, the combination of a body portion provided with lock-receiving recesses; a trigger-plate secured to said body portion; a housing eX- tending upwardly from the trigger-plate and provided with a chamber or recess; a cover-plate hinged at its rear end to the trigger-plate, said cover-plate being provided with a rearwardly-extending lug which underlies the chamber or recess in the housing; and a spring-pressed foot bearing said foot, through the action of the spring, serving to hold the cover-plate in its closed position, and likewise acting to hold it in its open position when the plate is thrown or drawn to such position.

8. In a drop-down, breech-loading gun, the combination of a body portion provided with lock-receiving recesses; a trigger-plate secured to said body portion; a housing eX- tending upwardly from the trigger-plate and provided with a chamber or recess; a cover-plate hinged at its rear end to the trigger-plate, said cover-plate being provided with a rearwardly-extending lug which underlies the chamber or recess in the housing; a spring-pressed foot bearing, upon the upper face of the lug; and a latch at the forward end of the cover-plate serving to maintain the plate in its closed position.

9. In a drop-clown,breech-loading gun, the combination of a body-portion provided with lock-receiving recesses in its under face; a cover-plate adapted to be swung over said recesses and the adjacent portion of the gun; and a detachable hinge connection between said cover-plate and a fixed portion of the arm, whereby the cover-plate may be bodily removed or positioned without the necessity of removing the triggerplate and the guard.

10. In a drop-down, breech-loading gun or small arm, the combination of a bodyportion provided with a lock-receiving recess; a cover-plate hinged at one end and adapted to be swung into position to close said recess and to normally rest in such position during the use of the arm; a latch pivotally connected to the outer free end of said cover-plate; and a spring serving to throw the latch upwardly and outwardly into engagement with a fixed portion of the arm, to thereby hold the plate in its closed position.

11. In a drop-down, breech-loading smallarm, the combination of a body-portion provided with lock-receiving recesses and with a cam located in front of said recesses; a cover-plate hinged at its rear end to the body portion of the arm and adapted to be swung upinto position to close the recesses and to normally remain in such position during the operation or use of the arm; a latch pivoted at the outer free end of said plate; and a spring serving to throw said latch upwardly and outwardly to make locking contact with the cam, to thereby hold the plate in its closed position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LESLIE BOVN TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

ERNEST PARKER, ETHEL M. l/VEBB. 

